


Fish Don't Have Legs

by MadnessofVoid



Series: tumblr works [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Fisherman Derek, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Human Cora, Human Derek, Human Hales, Human Laura, Laura Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Laura works at a diner, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, Magical Lydia, Merman Stiles, Older Stiles, Slow Build, Very much fluff, and a little cheesy, hales aren't rich, in way it's friends to lovers, minor mention of past jennifer/derek, no kate! yay!, still a fire that killed their parents though, still shit at tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 08:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8279296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadnessofVoid/pseuds/MadnessofVoid
Summary: Finally, the net broke. Derek sighed with relief, rising to his feet and grunting at how stiff he felt. The boy continued to sit there a moment longer, staring still. Derek was about to attempt interrogating this boy again when he saw something that about made him check in to a mental hospital.Instead of legs…there was a glistening, blinding, orange tail.A fucking tail!orDerek is a reluctant fisherman in order to pay off his parents' debt and he caught one hell of a, well, catch





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my tumblr with so many errors and lots of places where shit did not make a lick of sense. Luckily, this is the beta'd version (done by the lovely AsagiStilinski once again) so it is a bit more polished. Hooray! *awkwardly throws confetti*
> 
> I had a mighty need for a merman/mermaid!Stiles fic...so I wrote one. *more confetti*
> 
> (Also one of my earlier fics so...apologies for the crap writing style ;_; )

Derek hated the sea.  
  


Absolutely hated it!

 

Hated the stench of bitter salt and fish. Hated the constant way it moved. Hated the mystery that lurked beneath it. Hated the lack of control one lacked against the sea. There was nothing about the sea that Derek remotely liked.

 

And yet, here he was, on his late father’s fishing boat _The Persephone_ , waiting for the catch of the day.

 

It wasn’t like Derek _didn’t_ have a choice. He could’ve turned his back on his family and continued going to school on his baseball scholarship. But what kind of brother would he be if he just went to the funeral of his parents, gave his condolences, and then walked off without another word?

 

No…he was not his uncle. He would stay behind, give up everything he had ever dreamed of to help his sister Laura raise Cora. Unfortunately, in a small fishing town, the best job to do was none other than fishing.

 

So, while Laura worked to the bone at a diner, Derek suffered through many sleepless days rising early, catching as many fish as he could, haul them off, and hand them over to Isaac and Boyd, the only employees of his late parents that stuck around, to sell at the market. It wasn’t ideal, a twenty-four year old and a twenty-two year old raising a fourteen year old…but it was what had to be done. They were family. And family sometimes made sacrifices.

 

Derek sacrificed college baseball. Laura sacrificed her successful art career.

 

She was becoming a national star. Movie and show directors wanted her to do artwork for their productions. Rich snobs wanted her to draw or paint something for them. She was making bank! Now she was working at a diner, because her agent didn’t want to continue to work with her if she was leaving the big city. She was also doing what she could to sell her work or make crafts for the local market for the tourists.

 

Despite her successful job beforehand…it wasn’t enough to take care of three people, pay bills, _and_ pay off the debt their parents had been secretly in.

 

Would’ve been if the hole their parents were in wasn’t so deep…  
  


Derek sat on the fishing boat, yawning as he was reading _Neverwhere_ and waiting for his alarm system to alert him to a haul. He would rather be sleeping right now. Or spending time with his sisters. It was Saturday. Cora had no school and Laura worked the night shift at the diner. But it was also the day the lunch rush was the worst between noon to two. He had to get a good haul in, better than any of the other fishermen, before eleven-thirty.

 

So…no family time till the middle of the lunch rush.

 

Not how he wanted things, but he had no choice. He made the most money, despite Laura’s work at the diner and the desperate selling of her work. _And_ Cora’s babysitting money that she handed straight over to their elder sister so it could go towards the debts.  
  


The collectors shouldn’t even be going after the kids of the debtors. Those that they really wanted money from? They were dead. But these people were corrupt. Always hated the Hales. Especially the kids. Mostly Laura. With the parents gone…torturing Laura was their goal. And the way they did it was threatening to take the house, and then when there was no money left to take care of Cora...they were going to call child protective services to take the teen away.

 

Derek sat on a fishing boat Monday through Saturday just so none of that happened.

 

And to feel like he was helping in some way. Because he couldn’t stand seeing Laura pouring over the bills and debt letters, bawling quietly so no one could hear her.

 

Derek felt himself nodding off as the time went by. God…he needed to catch some sleep after having the normal Saturday Hale Family Meal. This week had been especially hard since he was barely making anything off both his haul and what his merchants were selling. Which meant things were harder on Laura. Made him feel guilty that he had no control over any of this. All he wanted was to take away the stress from Laura, let Cora live like a teenager and not worry about debts her elder siblings were taking care of, and spend time with his family. Was that so hard to ask for?

 

Yes…yes it was.  
  


Always was.

 

As he nodded off, eyes rolling into his head, there was a loud ring. He bolted up, nearly flinging his book right off the boat. It took him several minutes to realize what the ringing was coming from. It was his alarm. On the starboard side. _Just_ the starboard side.  
  


Derek leaped out of his lawn chair, darting towards the mechanism that pulled up his nets. He nearly tripped over his own feet rushing over to the wench. If he already had such a large haul…this would be the best day of the entire week!

 

He slammed his hand down hard on the button, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He needed this to be a big load. A big load of so many fish that he could just go home early. Not a dolphin this time. Please, dear god, not a dolphin this time. He had nightmares about that for a month!

 

The gears were whining and hissing as it started rising the net up. Derek took a step back, eyes wide. Holy shit…did he hit the jackpot of fish? Or did he catch a frickin’ shark this time? He could see the wires bouncing erratically the higher the net rose, meaning whatever he caught was fighting. _Hard_.

 

What the hell did he catch?

 

As the net left the water, the fight of whatever he had caught grew worse. He could hear the beams holding the net groan – that was how hard the fight was. There were thousands of fish in the net. Thousands of glistening silver scales in the dim morning glow.

  
But there was also an orange glow that shouldn’t be there…

 

“What the hell…?”

 

Suddenly, the net snapped.

 

Just…snapped.

 

It came crashing down, sending fish flying all over the deck. Derek swore, scrambling to get away from the brunt of the fall. His mind went from what the hell was that orange gleam and what was fighting in the net, to how the hell did his net break and how the hell was he going to get a new one? Nets weren’t cheap! And he didn’t have the money to get a new one!

 

He swore some more, stepping carefully over the flopping fish. What in the hell made his net snap like that? Was it a shark? It had to be something big because this amount of fish never did it. And it wasn’t like the nets were old. They were actually only a few months old. It was one of the things his parents bought before they perished in the fire. So what was it?

 

As he got closer, he saw something frantically fighting in the bits of the netting that didn’t break. And it wasn’t fish.

 

It was…it was a _boy_.

 

Derek froze where he stood – breath leaving him as if he were punched in the gut. How did a boy get in his net? How?! Derek got out his knife from his leg sheath, making some serious hustle over to the net now. The boy noticed him, whiskey eyes bulging in terror and -  
  


Was he just _hissed_ at?

 

Derek paused, staring at the boy in confusion. He…the boy just _hissed_ at him! Derek scowled, rolling his eyes and stormed over without a care. If this kid was gonna hiss at him, then he was going to bring out the grumpiness he was known for in this stupid town. This made the boy coil under the flailing fish more and hiss again.

 

“Shut up…” growled the fisherman. “You’re the one that got stuck in the net…”  
  


He crouched down, working immediately at the net. Damn thing was thick as hell. How did it even snap in the first place? Whatever. He didn’t need to worry about that right now. Right now he needed to get this kid out of the net before something happened.

 

Fortunately, the kid stilled, watching him with frighteningly intelligent gazes. This was making Derek feel self-conscious, the tips of his ears burning. He licked his lips, trying to focus on other things. Sadly, what he was focusing on wasn’t just the net being sawed by his knife.  
  


The boy was young. Couldn’t be older than seventeen. _If_. His hair was a permanent bedhead and had a hard time deciding if it wanted to be dark brown or light brown. It was also oddly dry for having been trapped in a submerged net. His body was dotted with constellations of moles, which Derek suddenly wanted to taste them. He cleared his throat, fighting back those thoughts and he attempted to focus on something. Which, well, wasn’t as hard as he thought. He noticed a small trail of shimmering orange substance on the boy’s chest where a strip of hair probably should’ve been. And that same substance was on the arms. Not only that, but when he saw the boy’s stomach…he noticed that same orange substance also there were a happy trail would’ve been.

 

Strange…  
  


“What the hell were you doing out here? You know this is a fishing town, right? Monday through Saturday there are nothing but fishing boats all over the place. Why were you swimming _now_?”

 

No response. The boy just…stared. His lips were parted faintly, as if he was either mesmerized by something unseen, or as if hearing Derek’s voice put him under some sort of spell. This made Derek that much more self-conscious. He cleared his throat again, keeping his sour expression in hopes of bringing in some intimidation.

 

“Not much of a talker, are you?”

 

Like he could talk. Derek hated being social with anyone other than his sisters. Sometimes he talked with Isaac and Boyd. But really, he hated conversations. He was terrible at holding one. No matter the topic.

 

He continued to saw at the net, ignoring the soul boring stare this kid was giving him. It was…uncomfortable. But, and this was the weird part, it was also… _nice._ Derek had always known he was bisexual. And this kid was sadly his type. Weird…but his type. It just made him a bundle of confusion over so many different things that he was actually getting a headache from more than just the fishy smell.

 

Finally, the net broke. Derek sighed with relief, rising to his feet and grunting at how stiff he felt. The boy continued to sit there a moment longer, staring still. Derek was about to attempt interrogating this boy again when he saw something that about made him check in to a mental hospital.

 

Instead of legs…there was a glistening, blinding, orange _tail_.

 

A fucking _tail_!

 

Derek took a step back, blinking over and over to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. And no, he wasn’t. There was a _tail_ instead of _legs_ on this kid! He gaped in disbelief, stunned by just about everything.  
  


How…what…there was no way this was happening. This kind of thing just doesn’t happen! _Ever_! It was all tales from whackos that spent too much time on a boat! Not real life! Merpeople. Don’t. Exist!  
  


The boy noticed the looks Derek was giving, visibly starting to panic. In the blink of an eye, this oddity flung himself off the boat and vanished into thin air. Derek didn’t move, eyes still focused on where the boy had sat. There was no way. None. Zip. Nada.

 

He definitely needed to sleep the rest of the day away if he was hallucinating a gorgeous specimen with a flippin’ tail…

 

**~+~**

 

Despite having only one net the rest of the day, Derek had brought in a pretty good haul. Likely was going to last until Monday. Which, finally. He needed good news.

 

Isaac and Boyd (mostly Isaac) were in awe with how much fish was brought in to sell. He spent an hour helping them prep the fish for the display case as well as store the others, in the secret way the Hales had been doing it for centuries, to keep the fish fresh. Once it was all good, he wished them luck, and hurried over to the diner Laura worked at.

 

Cora was already there, waiting for him right outside the diner. Laura was inside saving a booth for them. When his baby sister saw him, she huffed and held her hands out in a ‘ _what took you’_ type of way.

 

It was eerie how similar that was to the same thing their mother used to do.

 

“Hey! Sorry! Good haul today!” Derek explained breathlessly.

 

This seemed to make the fourteen year old light up. “Really? How good?”

 

“Good enough that it’ll last till Monday.”

 

“Holy shit. That’s awesome, Der!”

 

Cora threw her arms around him in an uncharacteristic hug. Which, while not normal, felt nice. He wasn’t a touchie person himself…but he did like being touched. Was a hard thing to live with.

 

“Let’s go tell Laur. She’s going to be so excited!” said Cora with a wide smile.

 

Derek nodded, motioning for his sister to lead the way. And lead she did. With a spring to her step. It was definitely the happiest he had seen his baby sister in a long time. It made his chest swell with pride and forget all about his minor hallucination earlier.  
  


Laura was sitting in their regular booth, waving at them. She noticed Cora’s demeanor and furrowed her brows in a pleased yet curious way. She glanced at Derek for answers, to which he just shrugged and managed a shy smile. Cora slid in next to Laura while Derek sat across from them. Cora hugged Laura as well, which really made her suspicious.

 

“Okay…what’s going?” Laura asked, brows raised.  
  


“Oh, just some amazing news.” replied Cora happily.  
  


“Really? Something better than Stilinski working today?”

 

“What?! Stilinski is here?! I thought he didn’t work Saturdays?!”

 

“Usually he doesn’t. But he missed Thursday and felt bad, so he decided to come in today.”

 

“Oh my god. I love it when Stilinski is here! He’s a bit annoying, but he does work that sarcasm well.”

 

“That’s why he’s my best friend.”

 

This whole conversation confused Derek more than anything. Stilinski? Who the hell was Stilinski? He didn’t recognize the name, and he knew everyone that worked with Laura at the diner. Maybe he was just someone that worked whenever because he didn’t need to? Still…how didn’t he hear about this guy before?

 

“So what’s the good news?” Laura continued, looking between her baby siblings.

 

Derek cleared his throat, knowing that Cora was staring right at him and expected him to explain it. “I, uh, got a good haul today.”

 

Laura perked a little, her lips twitching. “Really? How good is this haul of yours?”

 

“Good enough to last till Monday.”

 

Seeing the shine in his big sister’s eyes, something that hadn’t been there since the funeral, warmed Derek’s entire being. He missed that shine. Missed it dearly. Seeing that he had done something to bring it back was just…everything.

 

Laura nearly lunged across the table at him, pulling him into one of her suffocating bear hugs at a most awkward angle. But it was still one of her hugs. The hug that conveyed that everything would be okay, and that she was proud, and…

 

Derek held back tears.

 

“That’s great news!” Laura sat back, fighting back her own tears. “We’ve needed this stroke of luck!” She wiped at her eyes, laughing. “Oh my god…this is so great, Der.”

 

Derek nodded, words escaping him. This was the happiest he had seen Laura in what felt like eternities. That was all he wanted to do – bring that smile back. And there it was. There was Laura in her true form. It was heart warming…and yet…so fragile. Because if Derek couldn’t bring in another haul like this…

 

“What’s with the celebration over here, ladies?”

 

The voice was new, startling Derek almost out of the booth. The mixture of raspy and sly was an immediate attraction beam for him. So when he saw the guy in burgundy skinny jeans and a tight black shirt with the **Lydia’s Diner** logo across it, holding a tray that had drinks on it…

 

Derek’s heart stopped.

 

It was that kid from the net! The one with a fish tail! But he traded in the tail for legs!

 

What…what in the… _ **WHAT**_?!

 

“Oh, just got good news for once, Stilinski.” Cora and Laura hummed in unison.

 

Wait…Stilinski? This was _Stilinski_?!

 

Derek didn’t know how much his heart could take before he went into cardiac arrest.

 

“Oh? And what news would that be?” this _Stilinski_ inquired, setting the drinks down on the table. He paused at Derek, gawking at him with a glimmer of recognition before grinning crookedly. “Well hello there. Don’t think we’ve met.”

 

“That’s because you haven’t, hon.” Laura chuckled. “Derek, this is Stiles Stilinski. He’s Lydia’s cousin. And Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome here is my baby brother, Derek.”

 

Derek nodded stiffly, eyes wide and throat closed off. This seemed to only amuse his sisters and this Stiles Stilinski guy more. Because they all almost shared the same devious expression.

 

“Oh wow. Laur…how come you have kept such a secret from me?” whined Stilinski playfully. “You know I like men with pretty hazels and stubble. The bunny teeth is new for me, but good lord…have you considered modeling, man? You could make some serious bank, if you ask me.”

 

Derek stiffened, fighting back the urge to blush and what not. Judging by the looks of his sisters…he didn’t succeed.

 

“So I’ve heard.”

 

“He’s more of a baseball guy.” Cora chimed in, sipping on her drink with a smirk.

 

This seemed to strike something with the mer…person…thing. Because after hearing the word _'baseball’_ , Stilinski perked up and had the widest grin. It was like someone said he had won the lottery.

 

“Really? You like baseball, big guy? What team? I’m a Mets guy myself. Go Mets. Whoo.”

 

Derek eased. Only a little. “Dodgers.”

 

“Aw man. Total opposite sides of the nation there. But that’s okay. I think I can overlook that and get lost in those pretty eyes of yours.” The bravado lost itself suddenly, being replaced with pink tints of skin. “U-um…if you want! I mean…if you like guys or…whatever…”

 

The fisherman frowned, focusing right into the eyes. There was something in them. Something saying that he needed to keep quiet and play along. Something that said there was a secret and Derek had found that out. The flirting was accidental yet not, until he realized where he had seen Derek before. So, sighing, Derek leaned back in the booth and held a neutral face.

 

“Aren’t you a little young to be flirting with me?”

 

Stilinski shrugged, licking his lips nervously. “Not really. I don’t think so. I mean…I am twenty-four.”  
  


Oh. Well. That was…wow. This kid didn’t look that old. Then again, neither did Laura. Derek nodded, clearing his throat and stole a glare at his snide looking sisters. He needed to know what secret Stilinski was keeping, despite having a good idea it was about the fish scales, and decided to bite.

 

He leaned forward in the booth, leaning in as close as he could towards the half-fish man without leaving the table. His eyes read sneaky and curiosity, while his face held the neutral. “What does being lost in my eyes imply?”

 

The light in Stilinski’s eyes brightened. Seemed to flicker orange briefly. From the corner from his eye, he could see the absolute shock spread across his sisters’ faces. Which, yeah, they should be shocked. Their brother wasn’t one that even attempted any type of flirting. Not since Jennifer. So seeing this warranted those expressions.  
  


But Derek had an alternate motive to this.

 

So did Stilinski.

 

Stilinski leaned in close to Derek, licking his teeth and swayed his body around rather seductively. “Hmmm…I’d say…a nice ride out on the sea in a boat. Nice little place with trees nearby. Has a good view of this town. Around…oh…say…lunchtime tomorrow?”

 

Derek listened intently, brows rising and falling with each word spoken.

 

What had just been described was the exact spot where they met earlier today. Stilinski was telling him to meet again at the same spot tomorrow. With a slow nod and a forced smirk, Derek basically said he agreed and understood. Stilinski did this weird ass little dance that looked more like a standing seizure before pulling out a piece of paper and pen from his pocket, scribbled quickly down on the paper, and handed it over to Derek.

 

“Here’s my number and address! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!” Stilinski allowed himself to spare each Hale a quick smile before pointing towards the kitchen. “I’ll, uh, go get your menus now.”

 

He hurried off, leaving Derek alone to deal with his sisters and their stunned beings. Derek ignored them, slumping down in his seat. He opened up the folded note, half expecting to actually see a number and address just so he felt like this was normal and not something…abnormal. Instead, the piece of paper said this:

 

_Bring baggy sweats and a baggy shirt with you tomorrow. Boxers too if you could. My tail doesn’t turn into clothed legs, ya know! ;)_  
  


**~+~**

 

The next day, Derek left his home a fast as he possibly could.

 

It was bad enough that Cora was begging for him to take dozens of selfies with Stilinski. She was ruthless about it! But when Laura begged him to please take condoms just to be safe…he knew he needed to leave.

 

And don’t even get him started with the day before.

 

He didn’t think he’d be so scarred by dozens of questions that shouldn’t have been thought up of.

 

But he was.

 

Was not a pleasant experience.

 

Derek hopped into his hand-me-down truck, peeling out of the driveway as Laura was jogging out of the house to catch him. With that look, he knew what she was going to get at if she caught him. No way was he going through that _again_.

 

He waved at her with a nervous grin, and then hit the pedal to the metal. He just hoped this meeting with Stilinski was well worth it in the end. If not, well…he was going to demand the fish-human to compensate for all the trauma received from his sisters thinking that Derek was going to get it on with a guy he just met.

 

And the bag of clothes he was carrying for the guy did not help him in any way.

 

Cora was certain is was a sex on a boat kit. Nothing sounded more unappealing than that name _or_ that idea.

 

When reaching the dock, no one else was there. A blessing, really. No need to have looks being drawn towards him any more than there already were whenever he went to his father’s boat. He prepped for taking off, trying to be fast yet safe all at the same time. Nearly fell into the sea a few times in the process. When all was said and done, he was out in the water and pushing the old boat to go as fast as it could to the meeting spot.

 

He arrived where he fished Stilinski out the day before, anchoring there and pacing as he waited. When he checked his little digital clock in his tiny ass captain’s quarters, he saw that it was noon exactly.

 

So where was Stilinski?

 

Suddenly, there was the sound of water sloshing and a small thump on the starboard side.

 

Derek jumped and whipped around – body tensed and in fight mode. Well, fight mode died as quick as it came when he saw Stilinski leaning against the side as if it was nothing. The orange gleamed off his arms and the small patch on his chest shimmered in the light, which somehow made his innocently impish expression more prominent.

 

“I half believed I wouldn’t see you here right on time.” teased the fish-human, his lanky fingers dancing across the wood. “Did you bring clothes?”

 

Derek nodded, mouth half parted as he raised the garbage bag with his clothes. Stilinski beamed, easily swinging himself up and now sat on the edge with his blinding orange tail in view.

 

Now Derek was _definitely_ staring. He wasn’t hallucinating. None of this had been a dream. This man before him had an _actual tail_.

 

“You just gonna stare? Or are you gonna watch as I form legs and walk in the buff?

 

The fisherman blushed deeply, tossing the bag to the middle of the deck before hurriedly turning around to give Stilinski some privacy. When he heard that laugh…his entire body felt flushed. He suppressed a groan and bowed his head into his hands.

 

This was not real.

 

There was _no way_ this was real.

 

He was going to wake up in his bed and none of yesterday would have happened. But when a tap on his shoulder came, spooking him half to death, that idea vanished. Warily, he turned around and expected Stilinski to be naked or something.

 

That might have been loads better than what he actually saw…

 

Stilinski was wearing Derek’s clothes, which were a bit baggy on him since he was lean and Derek was all muscle. And they hung off the smaller man _sinfully_. Stilinski grinned shyly, running a hand through his surprisingly dry hair and biting his lip.

 

“You look like you’ve seen something sinful.” came the teasing voice.

 

Derek almost said “ _That’s because I have.”_ But instead, he shrugged and went neutral in the face. Didn’t fool the fish-human in the slightest, but at least he was nice enough not to mention it. Stilinski inhaled the air and exhaled it with a dreamy sigh, looking like he had taken the best air into his lungs in his entire life.

 

And Derek learned he could be turned on by someone _breathing_.

 

This was ridiculous and unreal.

 

Nice things like this didn’t happen to Derek. No matter how weird.

 

“So I know everyone calls me Stilinski…” the fish-human said, starting to walk around the deck. “But I would feel loads better if you called me Stiles.”

 

Derek let out a huff, trying to keep himself grounded in his usual persona. There was no way this gorgeous looking man was going to distract him and take him down in any way. No sir!

 

“Fine. Stiles it is.”

 

The harsh tone startled Stilin – Stiles. Made the mystery being stop moving about and stand perfectly still. Well…almost perfectly. His fingers were still twitching about. He cleared his throat, nodding with an anxious grin.

 

“So…you probably wanna know what I am and stuff. Though, if you don’t know what I am, then you aren’t a real fisherman. N-not that I didn’t already know that. Lyds told me about your family. And I know your sisters, so they told me, too. Um…”

 

Whoa. Was this creature nervous? Well, Derek couldn’t blame him. Derek was a bit scary when you first looked at him. Especially since he was wearing his father’s old leather jacket that was too big on him.

 

He sighed, easing up a little. He just wanted answers. That’s what this meeting was about anyways. Right? “Start from the beginning. And don’t act like I’m going to rip your throat out with my teeth.”

 

Stilins – Stiles barked out a laugh that made his entire body move. It was unfairly attractive. “I don’t know, Der-Bear. You look like you could rip me apart with your teeth alone.”

 

The glare Derek threw brought back the anxious body language Stiles held. But also a joking shimmer in his eyes that said the man wasn’t quite done being a bit of a pain in the ass just yet.

 

**~+~**

 

Learning the truth about Stiles was a whirlwind.

 

Of course Derek knew that Stiles wasn’t Lydia’s actual cousin. But what shocked him was that Lydia was a centuries old witch who had known Stiles for just as long. Wherever she went – he went. It used to be about love for the merman (yes, Derek finally allowed himself to use the proper term). But after a decade of Lydia not returning the type of love Stiles wanted, he respectfully gave up and apologized for any awkwardness he caused. Lydia returned with the apology of not being able to give Stiles the love he wanted. She then made up for it with a spell that would make the person that fell for Stiles, and Stiles fell for back, to live just as long as he could so he could never experience loss like they both had in the past.

 

Lydia and Stiles met by sheer chance. She was tossed off a ship that thought she was cursed, and Stiles saved her. Love at first sight for him, really. It was then that he decided to take up the ability to trade fins for legs and followed her like a lost puppy. Of course he still followed her, but he was protective of her. Wanted to keep her safe.

 

Happily enough, it was the same with Lydia. Sometimes she followed him though it was mostly the other way around. In fact, her spell on whoever fell in love with Stiles and Stiles fell in love with in return was the biggest protection she could give him, besides a typical shielding spell. Because Stiles had lost his entire family from a group of assholes that hunted merpeople for sport, and Lydia had lost almost everything in her lifetime. She could handle the loss. She was used to it. But Stiles...merepeople weren't meant to suffer so much pain like he had.

 

Derek couldn’t help but feel guilty that he couldn’t protect Stiles the way that Lydia could. It was a strange feeling but…but he felt it. Kept it to himself.

 

They moved around a lot to avoid suspicion since neither of them could age. They had been just about everywhere in the world. And it always had some type of water nearby. Somewhere where Stiles could get the taste of his true form and not get sick from the lack of the water he needed. This town was the perfect place when Lydia saw it on a map, and found that there was diner up for sale. She had always wanted a diner (the want started in the 40's), but never found one in a place they both liked. Finding this town was like a blessing for them.

 

When they reached this small town, it was some time before the fire that took the lives of Derek’s parents happened. Lydia and Stiles had taken a liking to the late Hales, promising to help them however they could with money. Of course they were turned down, but they still kept the offer on the table. And when they died, the witch and merman came to the funeral to pay their respects. Derek didn’t remember seeing them there. Then again…he didn’t remember many faces from that day. So many people came to give their condolences. He wasn’t surprised that Stiles and Lydia had been one of them.

 

That was all Stiles gave out on their first meeting.

 

“I actually want a bit of a date, ya know?” he chuckled, winking playfully and gave Derek a near heart attack.

 

They ended up taking a swim, racing each other.

 

Of course Stiles won.

 

The next day when Derek actually had to go to his job (ignoring all the questions from his sisters from the day before _and_ the next morning about his “ _date”_ ), Stiles came again onto the deck but kept his merman form this time. He then went into details about his kind without prompting. He spoke with his entire body as he explained that all merpeople could trade their sea life for life on land easily. Was something they were taught how to do at the age of ten. They were allowed to spend a year on land at eighteen if they wanted. Which, of course, Stiles eagerly took up that opportunity.

 

Something that Derek learned from Stiles while listening to him was that he was a curious being. If he wanted to learn about something that sparked his interest – he’d pour into it with all his soul until he had his fill. And he had his fill that year he spent on land, occasionally taking a swim so he wouldn’t get ill. Apparently, merpeople could get deathly sick if they didn’t go for a swim either in the sea or in something like a lake or river. A bathtub could only do so much. Pools were definitely not a help at all. So Stiles always took a swim at night occasionally. That was the best time for him. A time when his family could be shielded so they could visit him, and he could excitedly tell him what he was experiencing.

 

The talking about merpeople shifted quickly to Stiles’ family.

 

He had a father and a mother – something rather small for a merpeople family. His dad was like a police officer for the sea. He made sure laws were kept and that punishments if the law wasn’t kept were dealt out. (The most important law of them all was to not purposely let a human see you. If it was accidental then it was fine. Not your fault.) His mother was a supportive, curious, and adventurous woman that encouraged Stiles to explore. He actually got in so much mischief with his mother that sometimes he wondered if his father would grow gray hairs like the humans.

 

The fond words fell silent. A heaviness filled the air. A heaviness Derek recognized. Feeling kindred with Stiles, Derek changed the subject to something he thought he would never do.

 

He talked about _himself_.

 

He told the merman about how he used to play piano as a little kid, but stopped when some jerk mocked him for _'playing such a girly instrument'_. He still secretly played. He loved baseball with a passion and was going to college on a baseball scholarship. He talked about the stupid things he used to do when he was younger. About how much trouble he used to get in. He explained how his mother was always the one that dealt with his stupidity and was so gentle and soft that…that he craved it since he had left for college. He had called her every day to tell her just how much he missed her. How much he loved her. His father was a big goofball. Always had to do something theatrical and taught all of them how to speak languages. And usually the first words were swear words.

 

Like with Stiles…he fell silent and that familiar heaviness came over them.

 

“Looks like we both had awesome parents…” Stiles eventually said softly, patting Derek’s knee in comfort.

 

The next time Derek saw Stiles was Wednesday. And the merman looked excited about something.

 

“I found this sunken ship about three miles from here! It’s huge!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Derek chuckled as he hoisted his haul (another real good one, surprisingly). “How old is it?”

 

Stiles thought that over with a hum, looking ridiculously adorable. “Probably about eighteenth century. Probably. It’s in pretty good condition. I should get a water camera and take pics to show you.”

 

“Sounds cool. I’d like that.”

 

Stiles delivered on Friday.

 

Derek was stunned to see how perfect this ship appeared. It was like it had just sunk! The men talked about contacting a museum or something because this was the find of the century! Then, Stiles offered to take Derek there some day. When Derek accepted to go there later that day, Stiles' entire being lit up like the sun. It caused Derek’s heart to thump with a fondness that he never experienced before.

 

“Is this, like, our second date?” inquired Stiles in a voice that rang throughout Derek’s core.

 

The fisherman dipped his head, hiding a smile, and confirmed that it could be.

 

On Saturday, when Derek went to the diner with his sisters, Stiles took his lunch break and sat with the Hales. Laura and Cora gave Derek looks when he easily fell into a cheerful conversation with the merman. Fortunately, his sisters didn’t say anything and hopped right into the chatting.

 

It felt…right. Like Stiles had always belonged there with them. He fit perfectly with them. Like a missing puzzle piece. So when Laura invited Stiles to come to dinner that night and Stiles accepted…Derek was swelling with uncharacteristic joy. He barely could contain it. But he wasn’t teased about it. Instead, Laura patted his shoulder when they got home and smiled at him.

 

“It’s been ages since I’ve seen you smile like you do with Stilinski. Could you keep him? For your sake?”

 

It hit him in the gut when his big sister said that. That’s right…Derek forgot how to smile since the death of his parents. Forgot that he sometimes moved his entire body when he laughed. Forgot that his eyes crinkled and the sides of his face were described as massive dimples. Forgot how it felt to laugh. Forgot what a smile felt like.

 

He liked feeling it again.

 

When Stiles came over for dinner…it was as if Stiles had lived in that home all his life.

 

He knew where everything was and had no issue navigating at all. Was strange, but it felt like that was how it was supposed to be. The Hales and Stiles spent a lovely evening together that resulted in Stiles spending the night. Of course a room was offered to him, but Stiles took the couch and claimed that he loved his TV. Which, turns out, was right. Derek found himself falling asleep with Stiles and his sisters in the living room with the television still on.

 

Weeks had gone by.

 

Stiles came to visit every day on the fishing boat. If he missed it, it was because he was searching for more shipwrecks. And every day Stiles came…so did a massive haul.

 

After two weeks of hanging out with Stiles, a new net had been set up on the system. When Derek told Stiles about it, the merman whistled and thought that maybe somebody secretly felt for Derek’s struggle. Then, on that Saturday, Laura told her siblings that some of their bills (which they were struggling to get paid on time) had already been paid for when she went to pay them. Had been paid on the due date, actually.

 

“You guys must have a guardian angel or something.” Stiles mused, seeming to work the gears in his head of who that person could be.

 

After knowing Stiles for half a year…Lydia came to Derek’s boat.

 

She popped out of nowhere as Derek set anchor and began reading. He knew she was there when he heard her clear her throat. He looked up, barely surprised. Stiles warned him that Lydia was likely going to show up to try to scare him. Especially because it was clear to everyone in town that the fisherman and Lydia’s _'cousin’_ were sweet on each other. Or at least looked sweet on each other.

 

Derek set his book down, _The Great Gatsby_ this time, and nodded respectfully towards the witch. “Lydia.”

 

“Derek.”

 

They stared at each other for some time in stony silence. Lydia sighed, sucking on her teeth as she summoned a fancy armchair in front of Derek. When she sat down, he knew things were about to get serious. She was protective of Stiles as he had been warned. But he wasn’t scared of her visit.

 

Okay…maybe he was a little.

 

Or a lot.  
  


She crossed her legs, smoothing out her dress and sighed again. Derek waited in agony for her to say something. _Anything_. He took that back the very moment the witch pursed her lips, then clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth.

 

“I have been hearing things about you.” Lydia said rather accusatory. “You and Stiles.”

 

Oh boy. He had heard that _so_ many times when he was teenager and dating people.

 

He swallowed, raising his brows and did his best to not appear intimidated. “Is that so?”

 

“Yes, Derek. It is so.”

 

That sharpness…it could cut like a damn knife. Derek pinched his face together, trying to keep it calm and not get spooked. Though he felt the cracking beneath the surface.

 

“Stiles is important to me, Derek.” Lydia continued with the sharpness getting sharper. “I have made it my duty to make sure he is safe and happy just as he has always done for me. It’s the least I can do. But…I can’t always protect him. There are some things I can’t keep him away from or put a barrier to keep it away. One of those things is heartache.”

 

Cold washed all over him. Heartache? Did she think he would…?

 

“I know you two have been talking to each other about everything. I know you two have been seeing a lot of each other. He sees you either at your house with your sisters, the diner with your sisters, or every single day on this…boat.”

 

“Almost.” Derek corrected, quickly clearing his throat the very second he saw a look of disgruntled disbelief from Lydia. “He…he sometimes goes to search for shipwrecks. If he finds anything he thinks is worth mentioning…he takes me out there later in the day and I put on my diving gear to swim with him.”

 

The confession seemed to soften up the witch. Barely. They sat in silence a bit longer before Lydia managed a strained yet amused closed lip smile. That was a good thing, right?

 

“Derek…how do you feel about Stiles?”

 

The question took Derek aback. How did he feel about Stiles? Well…he liked the merman. Liked him a lot. Despite being a royal pain in his ass, Stiles was a huge comfort in his life. Someone he could be, well, himself around with ease. Helped him smile again. He’d be a liar if he didn’t say there were deep feelings towards Stiles. Feelings that went beyond physical attraction.

 

“He means a lot to me.” Derek answered firmly, jaw tightening. “He means as much to me as my sisters do.”

 

Those weren’t words taken lightly.

 

People in this small, fishy stench of a town knew all about how much Derek’s sisters meant to him. Pretty sure that Kenny fellow that worked on the docks half of the week still remembered the shiner Derek gave him six years ago when he broke Laura’s heart. And Cora’s ex definitely looked ready to shit bricks whenever Derek had time to pick Cora up from school. He was protective of his sisters. So protective that he almost got himself arrested when the debt collectors started harassing Laura, causing her cry later that night. He had decided to scream at them over the phone because he certainly would have been arrested on the spot if he went to them face-to-face.

 

The expression Lydia gave was one that pleased Derek: approval.

 

“So it’s safe to say that you love Stiles?”

 

Derek felt a flush hitting him, eyes widening for a split second before resuming the neutral. But it was too late. Lydia saw it. She _knew_.

 

“That’s all I needed to know.” She shooed off the armchair into oblivion as she stood up. With a shit eating grin, she flicked her hair and purred. Seriously _purred_. “I’ll let Stiles know that his insane plan is a green light.”

 

Insane plan? Green light? What in the hell? Derek opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but she disappeared into a wisp of smoke just as the words left him. He sputtered, having inhaled some of the smoke, and leaned as far away from it as he could.

 

Well that was weird.

 

This was definitely something that Derek would need to talk to Stiles when he saw him later.

 

**~+~**

 

Problem was…Derek didn’t see Stiles again.

 

He’d call the diner, called the number Stiles gave him, tried to even stop by Lydia’s place.

 

Nothing.

 

And Laura hadn’t seen Stiles at work either. Lydia, yes. Stiles, no.

 

It was so strange.

 

Lydia told Laura that Stiles was off talking to some high end museum folks about the shipwreck he found in mint condition. Which, okay, that sounded about right. Stiles had been talking about how he wanted to turn the find over to the experts. However, the text he received from Stiles on night eight of no contact made Derek’s head spin.

 

_Everything will be fixed. Trust me. You’ll see tomorrow._

 

When the next day came…Derek found Laura hunched over the table sobbing hysterically.

 

His heart sank and he wanted to puke. He hadn’t seen her like this since the day those debt collectors called. It felt like the world was crashing around him in one single moment.

 

He rushed over to his sister, taking one of her hands and getting down on his knees as he squeezed her hand. Panic was all over him, crippling his voice. Laura didn’t budge or acknowledge his presence. Not for a good solid three minutes. When she raised her head and looked her baby brother in the eye…

 

She was smiling.

 

Derek felt the wind being knocked out of him. Smiling? Why was she smiling? _And_ crying?!

 

“Laura?”

 

She let out a laugh, throwing her arms around him, almost knocking him over. Now he was truly confused. What on earth was going on? Why was she acting like this?

 

Then, he saw it.

 

The documents on the table.

 

Documents saying that all debts had been waved.

 

Derek tore away from his sister, sweeping up the document and skimming them over with heavy breathing. Each one said that all their bills had been paid for. All the debts their parents were in and they were being forced to take care of had been paid off.

 

“H-how…?”

 

Laura shook her head, wiping her eyes. “I don’t know. I woke up this morning to these on the table. There was a little note on the envelopes these were in. The first one said _'For amazing people’_. The second one said _'Because your parents were parents to me, too’_. And the third one said _'Because I love you’_. So, unless there was some rich person we knew but didn’t know was rich…this is some sort of Christmas movie miracle shit. Cora is going to bawl like a baby when she sees this. And you know Cora. She isn’t much of a crier.”

 

Derek nodded, eyes glued to the documents. Whoever did this really must’ve been rich. Ridiculously rich. Because their parents were deep deep in the hole. So deep that Laura’s money from her once insanely successful career didn’t even scratch the surface.

 

That’s when it hit him.

 

Who in this world could pay off this much debt without batting an eye, without being a successful millionaire that knew them, and had that handwriting?

 

The answer was simple:

 

 _Stiles_.

 

**~+~**

 

The fisherman had left his home in the blink of an eye. Barely even acknowledged the fact that his sister called out to him and asked what was going on. He sent a text to Stiles. One that he knew the merman would want to know what the hell.

 

_Meet me in our place. Now._

 

Derek was sailing out before anyone else on the docks. He was so focused that he ignored anyone that said a single word to him. He almost wrecked all safety procedures as he set off in a hurry. Like a man running from murder.

 

He was in their spot, the spot where they first met, within what felt like minutes. And when he set anchor, it took not even thirty seconds before he heard the familiar slosh and thump onto the deck.

 

Stiles was dripping with water, legs starting to form. Derek tossed a blanket at him, pacing as he waited. It wasn’t long before Stiles was on his newly formed feet, the blanket wrapped around his entire body like a cloak. For once, his hair was sopping wet. And, for once, his expression was full of panic.

 

“What’s wrong, Derek?” he muttered shyly, ready to break into pieces at the slightest raised tone.

 

It wasn’t like Derek was angry at Stiles. He was more aggravated at _himself_. But he knew that his expression was heavy with frustration. It wasn’t frustration over what was likely running through the frightened merman’s head. It was more like frustration because Derek had no clue what to say.

 

He continued to pace, grunting in his frustration. He saw Stiles fidget and turn sickly pale from the corner of his eyes, which made him feel guilty. He heaved out a sigh, dragging his hands down his face.

 

“I’m not mad at you…” he stated with a huff. “I just…”

 

He heaved out another sigh, now looking at Stiles with a much more calmed face. He closed his eyes, mustering up the courage to speak once his eyes opened again.

 

“Why?” He looked at Stiles with an almost broken look. Broken for different reasons other than the usual. “Why did you pay for our debts?” He pointed at the new net. “And that? Don’t lie to me. I _know_ you paid for it. And our bills? I _know_ you did that, too. Why did you do all that for us?”

 

Stiles’ lips parted. He looked out of breath. Out of words. Which was weird. Stiles was a talker. A _big_ talker. He could talk himself out of a paper bag if he wanted to. It made it easier to open up to him. Stiles licked his lips, adverting his gaze away from Derek. His right leg bounced nervously the best it could while standing upright. This behavior worried Derek. Worried him a lot. He took a step forward – hand outstretched and ready to provide some form of comfort, although that was his worse area of expertise.

 

He didn’t get far.

 

Stiles looked up, color back on his face and presence fixed in determination. He licked his lips again and breathed out his nose right before he whispered, “Because I love you…”

 

Derek sucked in air, ready to fall overboard. That’s what that one note on the last envelope meant. Well, it could be taken that he loved them all but…

 

But he loved Derek.

 

Some centuries old being, who had been through so much shit in those centuries more than Derek had in a year, that had currently only existed in tall tales and books and movies and television shows…loved Derek. Which, really, he wasn’t surprised. He just wasn’t certain if he had read that wrong. He had done that before, and wanted to save himself from any grief. But now that it was out in the open…

 

Derek lunged forward, forgetting that Stiles was extremely naked under that blanket barely being held up by fingers, and kissed him roughly.

 

The merman squeaked and growled in Derek’s mouth – startled.

 

Didn’t take long for him to lean into the fisherman and discard the blanket altogether, however. Something Derek should’ve cared about but couldn’t give a rat’s ass right now.

 

Stiles had saved Laura endless nights of stressing over money. Stiles had saved Cora from giving up her babysitting money in order to help any way she could. Hell, Stiles saved _Derek_ from possibly continuing a job he detested. That part was still up in the air. But, better yet, Stiles loved Derek.

 

Just like Derek had stubbornly tried to deny that he loved Stiles back.

 

Derek pulled away, smirking when Stiles leaned in in attempts to recapture Derek’s lips. He placed his hands on Stiles’ shoulders, keeping him at a short distance (which made the merman whine and for some god awful reason it was fucking cute). He shook his head, fighting to not cave in and just kiss the hell out of him some more.

  
  


“I’ll never tell anyone what you did on a few conditions.”

  
  


Stiles tilted his head in confusion. Brows furrowed as if he had been offended. Derek chuckled, pecking the cheek of the creature that honestly shouldn’t be real.

 

“You let me take you to a baseball game and tell me more about that spell Lydia placed on you. Because I'm not sure I'll last seeing my sisters grow old while I can't. And this Saturday, you sleep in my room instead of the couch.”

 

This caused Stiles to closed mouth laugh – wrinkling up his entire face in amusement. “Deal.”

 

“Good.” Derek picked up the discarded blanket, wrapping it around them both with an ear-to-ear grin. “I love you.”

 

Stiles bit his lip, looking like a kid who got a date with his schoolyard crush at last. “Love you, too.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk sterek with me!
> 
> http://youfancymemaddearie.tumblr.com/


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